Chrome: Great apps like Readability turn web pages into a format more easy on the eyes, but sometimes you just want less of a distraction rather than an entirely new look. Text Mode blocks out all images and flash components on a web page and puts everything into grayscale for distraction-free web browsing.
As depicted in the screenshot above, text is rendered about the same—just without color. Images, however, become a diagonal striped pattern so you can focus entirely on the written word. To activate Text Mode, you just click on the installed extension button and let it fly. To turn it off, just click the button again. The only very minor issue is that Text Mode doesn't work in Hi-DPI mode (e.g. on retina MacBook Pros and computers like them) but that won't affect the majority of users. If you're looking for a simple way to make web pages less distracting, all you need is Google Chrome and this free extension.